NASHVILLE – The star-packed lineup of performers for “The 46th Annual CMA Awards” grew today with the announcement that Vince Gill, Hunter Hayes, and Keith Urban will perform during “Country Music’s Biggest Night™.” The first round of artists presenting trophies on the three-hour gala were announced including Martina McBride, Kellie Pickler, Sugarland, and The Band Perry.

Gill is no stranger to the CMA Awards stage. He hosted the CMA Awards a record 12 times. He has earned 51 career CMA Awards nominations and has won 18 trophies including two for Entertainer of the Year (1993, 1994) and five consecutive CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Awards (1991-1995). Gill will be performing with previously announced CMA Awards Female Vocalist of the Year nominee Clarkson.

Hayes received his first CMA Awards nomination in the New Artist of the Year category in 2012 and this will be his first CMA Awards performance. Artists can only be nominated in this category two times.

Urban, nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year, has won the trophy three times (2004-2006). Since winning the CMA Horizon Award (now New Artist of the Year) in 2001, Urban has collected 25 CMA Awards nominations. He won Entertainer of the Year in 2005 and Musical Event of the Year in 2009 for “Start a Band” with Paisley.

Presenting Awards on the broadcast are McBride, who is nominated for CMA Female Vocalist of the Year (an Award she has won four times); firebrand Pickler, who received her first CMA Awards nomination in 2007 for the Horizon Award; Sugarland, nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year (an Award they have won every year since 2007); and Vocal Group of the Year nominee The Band Perry, who received their first CMA Awards in 2011 for New Artist of the Year, as well as Single and Song of the Year for “If I Die Young,” written by Kimberly Perry.

Full 2012 CMA Awards details, including nominations and performers are available at CMAawards.com, which also includes CMA Awards history, a searchable database of past CMA Awards nominees and winners, host information, merchandise, and much more. The CMA Awards Store has T-shirts, hoodies, hats, mugs, tote bags, and more official merchandise for fans to purchase online. Fans can connect with CMA online at Facebook.com/CMA, Twitter.com/CountryMusic (#CMAawards), YouTube.com/CountryMusicAssoc, Pinterest.com/CMAworld, and by downloading the free CMA Awards app available for iPhone and Android. October is Country Music Month. Learn more at CountryMusicMonth.com, and join the conversation on Twitter using official hashtag #CountryMusicMonth.

The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by the 11,000 industry professional members of CMA, which was formed in 1958 as the first trade organization to promote an individual genre of music. The first “CMA Awards Banquet and Show” was held in 1967. The following year, the CMA Awards was broadcast on NBC television for the first time – making it the longest-running annual music awards program on network television. The Awards aired on NBC through 1971 and on the CBS Television Network from 1972 through 2005. The CMA Awards moved to ABC in 2006, where it will remain through 2021.

“The 46th Annual CMA Awards” is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the Executive Producer, Paul Miller is the Director, and David Wild is the writer. The special will be shot in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound.